1. It is indisputable that ordinary Greeks are hurting hard, as their economy constricts and public spending is curtailed. Ordinarily, lending Greece money to help them through a rough patch would be the decent thing to do.

2. However, Syriza seems far more interested in maintaining a public sector that Greece can not afford under its own resources, rather than figuring out a way of creating wealth to fund public services. Austerity is another word for maths.

3. Every country in the EU is a democracy, not just Greece. For every Greek on the streets demanding an end to “austerity” there’s a Finn, German or Dane telling her elected representatives “no more”. Greek democracy isn’t better than anyone else’s democracy.

4. The Greek referendum result should be taken for what it is. Yes means “We want to stay in Europe”, No means “We’ll take our chances”. Both results are legitimate, so please, spare us the No is a great democratic victory, Yes is a bullied people. The Greek people will vote in their own self-interest, as we do when we vote on EU treaties.

5. The Euro is flawed in design. We either go for a federal union, or this is going to happen again.

6. Greece should not have been let into the Euro in the first place.

7. Ireland is full of people and parties calling on other countries to give THEIR money to the Greeks. There’s then a lot of looking at shoes and out windows when they’re asked about giving our money. Same with Mediterranean refugees: great at demanding other people house and feed them. If people could eat guff and “solidarity”, the Irish Alphabet Left would have fed the Greek people ten times over.

9. Having said all that, Greeks are going hungry and without medicine. I’d support the EU, using my taxes, setting up emergency relief centres to get aid directly to the people who need it. Just not through the Greek government. We need to show the Greeks that yes, they are our fellow Europeans and we do actually give a s**t. An EU without Greece is a poorer EU.

3 Comments

JRH

Jul 1, 2015 at 3:49 pm

“Every country in the EU is a democracy, not just Greece. For every Greek on the streets demanding an end to “austerity” there’s a Finn, German or Dane telling her elected representatives “no more”. Greek democracy isn’t better than anyone else’s democracy.”

The false premise here is that it is intimated that the issue is caused by Greeks believing their democracy is worth more than say that of the Finns. This is not the case or the cause. The cause is the fact that EZ politicians bailed out the French and German financial system with the 2010 bailout.

So the “no more” you suggest the Germans, Finns et al are getting antsy about, is silly. The money has gone already, the loss about to be recognised by the EU taxpayers is the money they gave to the banks.
In essence the fact that EZ politians and heads of Government failed to recognise the 2010 Bankrupcy of Greece and their EZ financial sector what they should be angry about.

Jason O

Jul 1, 2015 at 6:47 pm

Nope. The false premise is that you think I’ve intimated that.

EOC

Jul 3, 2015 at 4:33 pm

I have so much to say about this but I’ll be very brief. Interesting what you have to stay Jason but lets be straight about this, this is attempted regime change without an invasion or air bombings. Force Syriza to resign if they lose the vote on Sunday and scare the bejaysis out of people into voting Yes.. or make them vote again if needs be.

What do you mean by “Maths” and austerity?, Jason when you think of the money poured into saving Anglo Irish Bank, forgot the exact figure to be honest but it was well over 20 billion euro.. all wasted and this was basically admitted in the Dail inquiry into the Banking crisis.. someone definitely did not do the sums there for sure!

We could of course have a long discussion about the notion that Greece should not be been let into the Euro, I guess it was believed to be a good thing at the time.. but we haven’t mentioned the role of Goldman Sachs at the time of their accession helping their government hide the true extent of their problems etc.. and after during the boom period, the euros being poured into the country on the back of the very same cheap credit/property bubble speculation that ruined Ireland.

So indeed a message will to be send around Europe for any Syiza type parties not to try any funny stuff like the Greeks have done, referendum, people power and what not.

Its a bit like the Hotel California with the Euro.. you can sign in but you can never leave..